Mundie Moms

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Book Review - WITHER

Written by: Lauren DeStefano
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Released on: March 22, 2011
Source: eARC from the publisher
4 out of 5 stars - I liked it, now go read why.

Synopsis (from Simon and Schuster): By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can't bring herself to hate him as much as she'd like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband's strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

I didn’t want to like this book. You see, I’m a mom of three and while none of them are teenagers, my oldest is turning 12 next month and the premise of WITHER hit my motherly instincts and hit them hard. Teens dying at 20 and 25 years of age? That stopped me dead in my tracks, literally. Then I thought, wait, am I not the very mama who encourages her kids to broaden their horizons by making them read something that might be out of their comfort zone? So, I opened up WITHER and could not put it down until I turned that last page.

I don’t even know where to begin this review but I’ll start with Lauren’s writing. In her capable hands, they story is dark, painful and yet, maintains an unexpected level of hope. Her world-building is extremely detailed which is needed to explain a world where genetically engineered children have shortened lifespans. As a reader, you immediately expect them to grow up faster and experience more in much less time. The very different back-stories of the four wives (I’m including the first wife who appears briefly at the start of the story) illustrate a new world, a new America where there appears to be a frantic search for a cure for this virus. As a result, the efforts to continue the human race have become cruel – I’ll just mention the child slavery and widely-accepted, underage polygamy. As you can imagine, these efforts do not stop the virus and the deaths.

See what I mean? The subject matter is something that should have made me stop reading. Instead, Lauren made me think of our current society glamorizing teen pregnancies through TV shows and celebrities as well as the sickening amount of child trafficking that occurs in our world. If such a virus existed right now in our time – what would we do? What would our governments do? I’m a very liberal mother and still I kept thinking about the possibility.

While the premise was hard for me to stomach, the characters filled me with hope especially the protagonist, Rhine, who was determined to not accept her fate. I loved how she struggled to understand her sister-wives. In fact, I loved how the wives’ relationships developed over time. Every single one of them felt very real and I admired Lauren writing in those natural ebbs and flows of friendship and understanding. I even understood Linden (the husband) and surprisingly, I liked him.

So yes, the subject matter is heavy, but the character development is masterful. I would recommend this for older teens because of the implied sexual content and an accurately depicted birthing scene. I would also recommend it for book clubs because, boy, do I want to discuss this with my fellow bookworms.

What I’m trying to tell you, MMs, is don't shy away from the subject matter, like I almost did. If you want to see how a talented writer handles a controversial world in a way that will leave you feeling hopeful, pick up WITHER and do it now. Also a quick aside, even though this is a series, the story stands alone and in a world of predictable cliff-hangers, I was relieved and pleased at the feeling of completion at the end of this first story.




Twitter Tuesday - Cassandra Clare

Lots of Cassie news today. But first and foremost is the ready-for-viewing DSAS video (no tricky passwords or blog hunt this time) over on VLC Photo Production's blog. I'll pause so you can all click over and view it once more. Okay, twice more.

Ah, you're back. That was, ummm, yeah...hot, I know. And equally as hot is the cover reveal of the much anticipated City of Bones graphic novel:

Here's what Cassie said on her facebook page about the delay in its release:

"Issue 1 is lettered (waiting on tweaks from letterer now and then you'll see it) issue 1 is almost done being colored and issue 2 is underway. Issue 4 is being adapted and by next week the artist will be halfway through the art on issue 3." Still aiming for winter publication.
It sounds like we'll have a stocking stuffer for every Mundie Mom.

And lastly, we don't want to forget about The Infernal Devices, do we?? Cassie tweeted this absolutely wonderful picture of Jem last night. It was created by ganlynde, who yes, played Clary in the City of Fallen Angels book trailer. She's amazingly talented and for further proof, take a look at her Holy Water Will. Ooops, I probably should have had a disclaimer there about swallowing all liquids and having a fan nearby.



Happy Twitter Tuesday, MMs!!

Book Review- The Dark and Hollow Places

Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Released on March 22nd, 2011- TODAY
Source- ARC from publisher for review
5 stars- Fantastic way to end the series

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.
Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.
But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction? (quoted from Goodreads).

Carrie Ryan has a talent for writing. Not only does her writing increase in perfection with each book, but she creates a world that feels so real while reading it, that I hopelessly and willingly fall victim to it's brilliance. Yes I know zombies aren't real, but they sure feel real when you're reading Carrie's series. I can honestly say I am NOT a zombie fan, but I'm a die hard Carrie Ryan zombie fan. There's a difference, as Carrie's main characters are not zombies, but the world in which they live is over run with them.

The Dark and Hollow Places lives up to it's name and is the darker of the three, but it also made it the most realistic. Without giving away any spoilers, what happens with the characters in the story wasn't shocking to me and is something that fits a story who's world is facing an end. This is something that felt real and something I can see really happening, as human nature takes over. People either fight to survive or become barbaric and let me just say that a few of the Recruiters make the zombies look nice.

What I've loved about this series is that each book is from a different character's point of view, and each story is told in manner that I not only get to see the characters in a variety of ways, but also their world. What I loved most with this story is the way in which Carrie brings all her characters together and wraps up her series. The Dark and Hollow Places is told from Annah's point of view, Gabry's twin sister. I really enjoyed getting to know Annah, and I loved the romance that grows between her and Catcher. It's so broken, and hopeful all at the same time and filled with tension, which I love. I really fell in love with Catcher in TDTW, but this time his desperation is so much more urgent that I really wanted to reach out to him. Annah and Catcher mold together perfectly, as they're the only ones who are able to really understand each other. I'm so glad that Gabry and Elias were apart of the story, but this time they were great supporting characters.

The setting in which the story takes place really helps set the tone and feel of the book. Dark City is overrun and falling apart and it's the last strong hold survivors have. The darkened subway tunnels are beyond creepy! My adrenaline started running while reading these scenes they're that creepy, but so fitting for the story. While the setting makes the world and the story feel helpless, the characters give it hope, which was so appealing to me. Annah for me is the essence of survival. Her passion for living really brought the story to life. She often questions the way in which she was changing and how could she not? She's had to deal with some pretty horrific things both from what she's seen and experienced. She won't give up, even when all seems lost.

I truly loved the moments I spent being apart of the world Carrie created. With The Dark and Hollow Place I had a few of those "ah ha" moments when Carrie ties together her previous two story lines, and adds them to this story's deliciously twisted plot. And oh what an ending! It's biter sweet, hopeful, and exactly how a series should end. If you have not picked up Carrie's series, I highly recommend it. The Dark and Hollow Places is a must have book and I recommend running out today to pick up.

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